Recently Dino asked a question about local politics, stating, “While many people in town look at local politics even more apathetically than national politics, does this seem to be a time where this is not the case?” It got me thinking about why people might be apathetic about local politics and I have a theory.
When we first moved here, Linda Lawrence was mayor and I had the opportunity to hear her talk at a luncheon and afterwards there was a Q&A session. I moved here from a much larger city and not being all that familiar with how things worked here, I asked her about Wausau’s long-range plans, i.e. “What is the specific vision for Wausau’s future?” Ms. Lawrence seemed taken aback by the question, but she eventually indicated that there was no real long-range plan. Instead, it seemed that as each new election cycle came around, there was, for want of a better term, a learning curve or changing of the guard, as each new elected official was either brought up to speed or chose not to get on board with the existing agendas. Momentum was lost, focus was shifted. As I have watched our local government this past decade, it seems that with each election of local officials, the process of inventing the wheel begins anew. Each new mayor or council member wants to make his or her own mark and no one seems too interested in building on what came before. To me, a prime example is the endless cycle of “What, if anything, should be done with the 400 Block.” Consultants, reports / recommendations, more consultants, surveys, more reports, fact-finding trips, new consultants, etc.
I do not mean to imply that nothing ever gets done. Since I moved here, the downtown has grown and been revitalized — ArtsBlock was completed, Jefferson Street Inn and the Dudley Building went up, old buildings have been razed and lots of beautiful parking lots are springing up. Project followed by project. But I don’t see a “Big Picture,” or any real focus on the future … certainly no Grand Plan for the city’s lengthy riverfront (we have a downtown “River District” with no real river district, if you know what I mean), no Grand Plan for the blight north of downtown, no Grand Plan for Grand Avenue, no Grand Plan for our Parks System. Even expanding our simple, short riverwalk / bike path remains a seemingly insurmountable task, akin to building a pyramid. There are some semi-mini-projects planned: the west side “gateway” to downtown (in the shadow of the beautiful blue high-tension power line towers), expansion of UWMC, revitalizing west side retail fronts. We’ve seen commercial development on the farther west side, but these projects and others just seem to be the usual private-sector, entrepreneurial, opportunistic instances you’d see most anywhere: banks, retail fronts, fast food, gas stations, short-lived donut shops, etc. Your usual sprawl and creation of new suburbias.
We’ve seen several concept drawings for the 400 Block, but the only other comprehensive prototype for future development plans I’ve seen was a Wisconsin DOT 3-D model of the highway expansion project in City Hall’s lobby. The city of Paris built their Eiffel Tower … how did they ever accomplish that without the input of professional consultants and the insight of modern politicians? Amazing. Could we build our own version of the Eiffel Tower … not necessarily a tower, but our symbol, our unique thing to build our future around? What’s on our drawing board? Is there a drawing board? If so, is there someone who’s supposed to be in charge of the drawing board? Who is it? What are they doing? Why? Or why not?
I wonder if the apathy towards local politics Dino mentions might stem from this apparent lack of clear vision. What is there to be excited about? What are we building for our children, and theirs? Keeping taxes low – great, but that’s not the same as having a “Big Picture” for the city. And as our children flee our town to live in more interesting surroundings, we’ll at least have our low taxes to hold onto. What should / could Wausau be or become? An acknowledged arts center? An exciting shopping hub? A city of bridges and barges? A quaint Mayberry with horse-drawn tourist carriages and a 15MPH speed limit? A technological mecca where innovations are happening? A model of sustainability and conservation? A seat for great education at multiple levels? A town with a thriving river district? The nightlife capital north of Madison? Or central Wisconsin’s version of Joplin, Missouri (shudder)? Some might say, “All of the above,” but you cannot be all things to all people.
What do you think?
